Anticipointment

All vacations are a combination of anticipation and disappointment. That's what makes impromptu parties, spur-of-the-moment camping trips and things like that so much fun. There is no time to build up any anticipation of what to expect, so disappointment is limited. Therefore, it seems prudent to limit planning to maximze fun.

Often when you spend months saving for, planning, and waiting for a vacation, it is inevitable that you build up a mental picture of how things will go. You dream of eyeball deep champagne powder. No one thinks of their planned Christmas ski vacay as having no snow. You imagine idyllic beaches with few people and warm water, no one thinks of their Hawaii trip as a hotel room in a tropical storm or crowded beaches with no room to lay down.

That is why I am a big advocate of the "Do as Little Planning as Possible" school of vacations. Sure, put down some hand waving sense of where to go and how to get there, then let things at the destination guide you. 

Birmingham was one of those non-plans. We flew here with few expectations. Several folks asked us "Why Birmingham?" We had no answer. I did read an article that said that B'ham was "the other big English city" and had lots to offer. Folks told us it was an industrial town, dirty and full of immigrants, not really a tourist place. We expected to be a little disappointed.

Surprise! We are finding Brum to be fascinating. People are friendly. There doesn't seem to be many tourists yet we hear a dozen different languages every day. There are a zillion restaurants (they must be cheaper than London eateries), and the shopping is fantastic. The city has closed dozens of streets in the city center and made a huge pedestrian friendly walking area that goes for miles. The "Balti Triangle" is the birthplace of Balti cuisine, a unique fusion of Indian and Pakistani food.

Brum, arguably, is where the industrial revolution started. It's connections of canals and rivers to the ports of England and the industry made it the center of the revolution. Those same canals, completely refurbished, are now the centre of a booming narrowboat scene with people living, working and vacationing on the canals in modern replicas of the narrow barges of pre railroad days. The walking and cycling paths along the canals run for miles and are wondeful places to meet people and watch the action on the canals.

The biggest library in Europe, maybe the world, with a whole different attitude on what libraries are about. (We've been napping in their easy chairs) Saw a great photo exhibit there today. 

Had a lunch of fried haloumi, salmon ceviche, and crab cakes with a couple local beers (every beer is a Brewpub beer in England). Fabulous!

Had a picnic supper in Peace Park watching local yobs (check Wikipedia) drink beer and sunbathe.  This is real England. Every street is a Coronation Street.

We're glad we didn't start in London. Brum rocks!